The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday that certain Montana nonprofit organizations that run targeted advertisements 60 days before the election must register as political committees.
The lawsuit was originally brought by the National Association for Gun Rights. The district court ruled that activity by the organization that promoted a candidate 60 days before an election was considered electioneering. The Second Amendment rights group challenged that any restriction was a First Amendment violation. The appeals court ruled 3-0 that Montanans had a right to transparency for elections.
Nonprofit groups that were originally exempt but spend over the $250 threshold to influence voters will be subject to registering as a political committee.